For Parents

Gettysburg College seeks to establish and maintain an environment that provides for the development of the young adult as a whole person with an emphasis on inquiry, integrity, and mutual respect. The college expects its students to conduct themselves in all places and at all times in such a manner as to show respect for order, morality, personal honor, and the rights of others as demanded of good citizens.

Student Rights and Responsibilities strives to help students gain a greater understanding of community values and behavioral expectations. If students engage in behavior that violates the standards of the Gettysburg College community, they are held accountable for their behavior through our conduct process. The goals of this process are largely educational.

We hope to help students gain an understanding of what it means to be respectful, responsible members of our community by discussing problem situations, and by issuing sanctions designed to help the student better understand the problems inherent to their behavior. We also issue sanctions that focus on reality that adults must learn to be responsible for the consequences of their behavior. Consequently, serious violations of the standards of our community will lead to serious sanctions, such as suspension or expulsion from the College.

"Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility."

-Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Citizenship – Community Responsibility

Through their co-curricular experience at Gettysburg, students will be able to:

1. Commit to the rights and responsibilities of membership in the Gettysburg community (Informed Citizenship)

2. Utilize their knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community (Active Engagement)

3. Take personal accountability for the impact of their actions and decisions on the lives of others (Interconnectedness)

4. Develop and sustain communities over time by passing on what they have learned (Stewardship)

Understanding Our Process

The conduct board and hearing process is not a court of law. Procedural rules that must be granted in a court of law do not apply to colleges and universities. The differences between the criminal process and educational process includes: